Though the Halloween season is over, that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate the scares generated by shows like Ghost Hunters. Premiering on the Syfy channel in 2004, it features members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society (also known as TAPS) investigating reportedly haunted places.

In almost every episode, something usually happens to indicate paranormal activity though some incidents are crazier than others. This, in turn, has attracted a lot of skepticism, as is the case with many reality shows that involve the paranormal. But regardless of one’s own beliefs, these particular incidents that occurred on Ghost Hunters are objectively crazy.

Invisible Hand

Because a ghost is ethereal in nature, it’s believed that they can’t interact with the physical world the same way we do. With that said, there have been accounts of people feeling an invisible presence near them which is often attributed to ghosts. In fact, one such incident apparently happened during the eleventh season of Ghost Hunters. 

Titled “Ghost Guards,” this episode had the TAPS crew investigate the Grays Armory building in Cleveland, Ohio, that was home to a private military unit called the Cleveland Grays. But the building’s female owner claimed ghostly activity, which one of TAPS female investigators Shari Debenedetti experienced. Specifically, she felt someone touch her shoulder even though no one was behind her.

A Face-Like Image

While most of the Ghost Hunters episodes took place in America, there were a few times where they investigated hauntings in other countries. In Season 3, for example, there were two episodes that took place in Ireland titled “Attack of the Irish Elemental” and “Irish Ruins.”

During the latter episode, the TAPS crew were near the ruins of Lisheen Castle in an area reputedly haunted by an earthly spirit. Then on camera, they managed to capture something that resembled a face coming out of the darkness. Coincidentally, Irish investigator Barry Fitzgerald (who would later host Ghost Hunters International) saw the same face earlier.

REM Pod Activity In Dining Room

Aside from castles, another type of environment that ghost sightings are commonly reported is in Victorian-style mansions. Case in point: the Rockwood Mansion in Wilmington, Delaware, is said to be haunted by its former occupants which included an English merchant and his family. 

Now a museum and public park, it became the focus for the Ghost Hunters Season 11 episode “Manor of Mystery.” During the investigation, they used a REM Pod in the mansion dining room to detect a child ghost named Eddie. Programmed to pick up on energy fluctuations, the REM Pod’s lights went off multiple times as one of the investigators asked Eddie to ‘play’ with it.

Multiple EMF Meters Triggered In House

Every now and then, the Ghost Hunters investigators will look into reported hauntings at ordinary places as opposed to historic ones. One such example was during the twelfth season episode “Return to St. Augustine” where they went to Hanover, Pennsylvania, in addition to the titular location. 

At Hanover, they investigated the supposed paranormal activity in a woman’s former home by setting up several EMF Meters. Like the REM Pod, an EMF Meter is meant to detect energy readings that presumably indicate ghosts. While they didn’t initially react, this changed when the woman showed up and the EMF Meters went crazy. Supposedly, this was caused by a poltergeist, which Grant Wilson claimed is a person’s negative energy and not a ghost.

Unusual Thermal Pattern Around Self-Proclaimed Psychic

When trying to locate ghosts in complete darkness, a common tool that investigators use is infrared cameras that show thermal readings. The TAPS crew especially like to use them, which led to some interesting results during “The Crescent Hotel” episode of Ghost Hunters. Labeled as America’s Most Haunted Hotel, it was once a place where a fraudulent doctor named Norman G. Baker practiced medicine.

But there was supposedly another doctor named John Freemont Ellis, who had a home that’s reputedly haunted. This was further elaborated on by the home’s owner Carroll Heath, who claimed to be psychic, which TAPS tested using an infrared camera. What they caught was an unusual thermal pattern that seemed to radiate from Heath’s body.

Thermal Reading Of A Figure Walking Through Doors

A common belief about ghosts is that since they’re not made of solid matter, they can theoretically move through anything physical. This was seemingly demonstrated during the Season 10 Ghost Hunters episode “Darker Learning,” which took place at Southern Vermont College. Now defunct, it was rumored to be haunted by several ghosts including the school founder’s wife and the nanny he allegedly had an affair with.

While exploring one of the dormitories, investigators Steve Gonsalves and Jason Hawes spotted a thermal reading that resembled a figure walking across the hallway. But what made this sighting unusual was that the figure seemed to walk between two locked doors. Thus, it’s implied the figure was a ghost.

Voices In The Darkness 

One of the most reoccurring locations that has been featured in Ghost Hunters is the Stanley Hotel. Located within Estes Park, Colorado, it was the main inspiration for The Shining novel and shooting location for the subsequent miniseries. Since then, the hotel has gained a reputation for being haunted leading to the TAPS crew’s investigations.

During the Ghost Hunters Live 2006 Halloween Special, though, Jason Hawes and Grant Wilson were walking through the employee hallway in the hotel basement when they heard voices. Specifically, a woman’s voice that said, “Hello” followed by laughter. Supposedly, there was no one else in the hallway except for Hawes Wilson and a cameraman.

Chair (Apparently) Moves By Itself

In wake of Ghost Hunters’ popularity as a show, a group calling themselves the Skeptical Analysis of the Paranormal Society (or SAPS for short) was formed in 2006. As their name implies, their purpose is to debunk incidents that are supposedly paranormal.

This especially includes Ghost Hunters episodes, particularly during the first season with ones such as “Race Rock Lighthouse.” In it, there’s a moment where Grant Wilson gets up from a chair and leaves the room. Then a few seconds later, the chair seems to move on its own. While Skepticmagazine thinks the chair was pulled by a string, this has never truly been confirmed.

Shadowy Figure

As The Lighthouse movie demonstrated, the titular location can be unnerving given the right conditions. But Ghost Hunters perpetuated the idea earlier with episodes such as “Race Rock Lighthouse” and then “St. Augustine Lighthouse” in the second season. But the latter location proved to be scarier by comparison, leading the TAPS investigators to return to it twice.

One of the defining moments from the “St. Augustine Lighthouse” episode was a shadowy figure that appeared on the lighthouse staircase. Barely visible on the investigators’ cameras, it’s hard to tell whether the figure is a person or not though its movement is unnaturally quick.

Sound Man Falls Backward

Whenever an unusual incident happens on Ghost Hunters, the main investigators and/or guest stars tend to be present. But rarely does something happen to the camera crew, and “The Armory” episode during the first season was one example. Location-wise, TAPS was investigating the New Bedford Armory in Massachusetts due to reports of strange incidents. 

Then while on a catwalk, the sound man Frank DeAngelis suddenly fell backward. Claiming that something passed through him, DeAngelis was unable to get up forcing him to get medical attention. Afterward, he quit the Ghost Hunters crew implying whatever he experienced was traumatizing whether it was ghost-related or not.